FV Margaret Jane
1965 Canadian stern trawler
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The FV Margaret Jane was a Canadian stern trawler based out of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Built in 1965 at Snyder's Shipyard in Dayspring, she was owned by fishing company Adams & Knickle.[3][4][5][6] She sank in 1980 following a collision at sea with another fishing vessel.
| History | |
|---|---|
 Canada | |
| Name | Margaret Jane |
| Owner | Adams & Knickle |
| Port of registry | Lunenburg, Nova Scotia |
| Builder | Snyders Shipyard |
| Launched | 1965 |
| Identification | IMO number: 6621222 |
| Fate | Sank on July 31, 1980, following collision with Cape Beaver |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 108 tons[1] |
| Length | 105 ft (32 m)[2] |
| Sail plan | Stern trawler |
Collision and sinking
On July 31, 1980, Margaret Jane was returning an injured crew member to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, after three days of scallop fishing with an 18-member crew.[4][7][8] Cape Beaver, a steel-plated 160-foot-long (49 m) wetfish trawler owned by National Sea Products, was undergoing her first shakedown cruise in Nova Scotia waters and had dignitaries on board.[2][4][9][10]
At approximately 12:00 p.m. (ADT), Margaret Jane was hit on the port side by Cape Beaver in dense fog.[10][11] The incident occurred about six kilometres (3.2 nmi; 3.7 mi) from Lunenburg, near West Ironbound Island.[4][11] The large ice-cutting ball on the bow of Cape Beaver sliced through the side of the Margaret Jane.[2] After the collision, some crewmembers jumped overboard into the Atlantic Ocean and others scrambled into the boat's life raft.[10]
Within two minutes, the Margaret Jane was submerged by water and sank.[2][11] Four crewmembers of the Margaret Jane died in the incident.[11] Some crew members from Cape Beaver jumped into a life boat and helped rescue survivors.[2] The Cape Beaver boat and crew was not injured and returned to the National Sea Products wharf with rescued crew members from the Margaret Jane.[4] Four injured men were taken to hospital in the incident and the other 10 members of the crew were unharmed after being rescued.[4]
A television film crew from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) was aboard Cape Beaver and captured footage of the collision and aftermath.[12] The video footage was aired on national television across the United States.[13][14][15]
Casualties
Three of the four crew members who died were originally from Newfoundland.[4] The fourth was Kelly Crouse, a 16-year-old who went on the fishing trip while on vacation with his parents.[11]
| Name | Age | Hometown | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kelly Crouse | 16 | Brockville, Ontario | [11] |
| Aloysius J. Hinks | 34 | Chester, Nova Scotia | [11] |
| Manuel Joseph Jesso | 41 | Stephenville, Newfoundland | [11] |
| Leonard Snook | 55 | English Harbour, Newfoundland | [11] |
Inquiry
On September 4, 1980, Transport Minister Jean-Luc Pépin ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident.[16] The inquiry was held before Justice A. Gordon Cooper of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court Appeals Division.[17] Captain Morris Nowe, skipper of the Cape Beaver, testified that there was no liquor aboard the ship when it collided with the Margaret Jane.[17]